🇯🇵 Japanese phrases

How to Say "I love you" in Japanese

The SPAIKING TeamJuly 27, 2026
愛してる
"I love you" in Japanese · say it like ai-shee-teh-roo

The most natural way to say "I love you" in Japanese is 愛してる. Tap the speaker above to hear it, then say it back out loud. That is the fastest way to make it stick.

Other ways to say it

大好きだよ
more casual and affectionate, often used among friends or family
愛しています
more formal and polite, suitable for serious situations

When to use it

You can use '愛してる' when you want to express deep feelings of love to someone special. It is often used in romantic relationships. For a more casual expression, you might say '大好きだよ' to friends or family.

Say it out loud, get corrected

Reading it is not the same as saying it. Practice "I love you" and thousands more with an AI coach that listens.

Examples in Japanese

JapaneseEnglish
君を愛してる。I love you.
彼女に大好きだよと言った。I told her I love her.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse '愛してる' with '好き' (suki), which means 'like' and is less intense.

The fastest way to remember it

Vocabulary you only read fades fast. Vocabulary you say out loud sticks. Hear 愛してる, repeat it a few times, then use it in a real sentence. SPAIKING lets you practice exactly that, speaking Japanese with a coach that corrects your pronunciation in real time. You can start with two free conversations.

Frequently asked questions

When should I use '愛しています' instead of '愛してる'?

'愛しています' is more formal and should be used in serious or respectful contexts.

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